Hublot has introduced the newest chapter to its Sapphire collection of translucent watches, adding a completely new hue to the kaleidoscope of colors we’ve already seen from the brand. As a follow-up to the Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Orange Sapphire that came out last year, the Swiss luxury watchmaker has debuted the timepiece in purple at the Watches & Wonders 2022. “Continuity, perseverance. Innovation is not about launching isolated products, but rather being able to sustain a range over the long term with a consistent level of quality, while continuing to explore new frontiers,” said Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe. “This is what we have been doing since 2016 with the first Big Bangs in a sapphire case and the Purple Sapphire version is the latest chapter and is once again a world first.”
Preserving the DNA of transparency and minimalism, the new Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Purple Sapphire’s novel colorway was achieved with a composite made of Al2O3 (aluminum oxide) and chrome, which produced a completely new color in the field of fine watchmaking. Besides the new purple color, the timepiece is almost identical to last year’s orange version. What that means is it gets a 44mm polished sapphire case with a matching bezel that has six H-shaped titanium screws. Adding to the transparency of the timepiece is a skeletonized dial with its beautiful innards on display. At 6 o’clock is the tourbillon while the micro-rotor is located at 12 o’clock on the dial, which creates a perfect balance. For enhanced readability, the hands and hour indices are filled with SuperLuminova.
Housed inside the translucent case is the self-winding manufacture movement-HUB6035 that is equipped with ceramic ball bearings and features the latest Hublot technical advances in its winding system. Ticking at 3 Hz, it offers a 72-hour power reserve. Just like the last year’s version, the Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Purple Sapphire is limited to just 50 examples. However it is more expensive at £166,000 (roughly $220,000).
